Days 149-155, Black Forest English Immersion

Today is November 15, Saturday, Day 156, and we are in Ulm, Germany, but more about that tomorrow.

We returned to Munich last night by bus after spending a week in a delightful hotel in the middle of nowhere in the Black Forest. This was the venue for the English Immersion course for 16 German speaking people who wanted to be in an intensive English speaking environment. The students ranged in age from their early twenties to their mid fifties with the hopes of improving their English for business, personal, and educational purposes.

Russ and I volunteered to be part of the Anglo speaking contingent who came from the USA, Canada, England, Ireland, and South Africa. In exchange for our lovely accommodations, full board, and pool, sauna, and hot tub amenities, we (students and Anglos) spent nearly 15 hours a day working with the students. There were fifteen Anglos, so most of the experience was one on one, but some of the sessions were presentations, conference calls, telephones, fun activities, theater, and long walks in the forest while talking, listening, correcting, and laughing with our new German friends. All of the students had to have a basic knowledge of English through their schooling and experience. This course was to help them speak and think in English.

We had a great time, made global friends, and saw tremendous improvement with the students. Yes, we would do it again. If you are interested in a similar experience in Germany or Spain, check out DIVERBO.com

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's in the Black Forest

Day 147-148 Infidel Lovers in London

Today is 148, November 7,  and we are in the process of saying goodbye to London.  We have had a wonderful time and are now in the Stansted Airport Inn, on the Northeast side of the outer ring of London, and are leaving for Munich tomorrow, November 8.  We will be in Germany for 10 days, then will be flying home to America on November 18. We are excited about coming home, but trying to stay focused on our last days of our Odyssey.  

In Germany, we have volunteered to be English speakers in an English Immersion Language School, DIVERBO, in the Black Forest for a week.  Please don't be looking for blogs or photos as I think we will be very involved and immersed ourselves for the week.  We are looking forward to yet another type of experience.  After our week in the Black Forest, we will return to our 1970-73 home away from home towns in Ulm and Schwabisch Gmund, Germany.  Looking forward to schnitzel and spatzle.

Yesterday, November 6, Day 147

Due to a last minute change in our evening plans, we booked tickets to see the musical Infidel.  It was another rainy day and we spent most of it in the National Gallery, enjoying art from the 16th to the 20th centuries.  During the first part of the day, we walked through Covent Gardens absorbing the beginning of the Christmas Season.  

 In the evening, we made our way to Stratford East and the Theater Royal.  The play is off the main grid, but was absolutely excellent.  Wow!  The acting and songs were terrific, but second to the message that we are people first.  I'm thinking about the plays we have seen, Book of Mormon, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Infidel.  Is there a thread here?  Hmm.

So Long London, we have had a blast.

All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's

Day 146 - Poppies in London - Another Travel Reunion

Day 146, November 6, 2016 - Tower of London

Today does not bode well for sunshine.  Nevertheless, 10s of thousands of people queued up to see the commemorative 850,000 ceramic poppies in the moat surrounding the Tower of London.

Each poppy represents the fallen Brits in World War I.  We are always impressed with the strong sense of memorial of the people of he commonwealth, much more so than in America.  Here, almost everyone wears poppies and war loss and gratitude is magnified.  We bought our poppies, and from what we understand all 850,000 poppies have been sold with the proceeds going to veterans projects.  Way cool!

We walked from Tower Bridge

to the Tower of London and back toward Bank Street, enjoying the architecture of both old and new buildings in London.  Once again, we met up with a traveling buddy that we met on our Australian Outback adventure two years ago.  Claudia is a German, working and living in London.  She is lots of fun, and we enjoyed a great meet-up and Vietnamese cuisine at the DaNang Restaurant.

The Three of Us in Darwin 2013 - Roz, Russ, and Claudia

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's wearing our poppies in London.

Day 145 - Sherlock Holmes and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Russ, Roz and Joyce  - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels--the play, not us!

Tuesday, November 5, 2014 - London Calling

We had another great day, strolling all around London, taking in the sites on a beautiful sunny day,

visiting the Sherlock Holmes Museum, "The Man who Never really lived, and will Never really die."  Russ looks quite fetching in both a bowler and deer hunter's hat.

Our day ended on a fun note by meeting up with our Southeast Asia traveling buddy Joyce.

VietNam  2013

Fun Times in South East Asia 

and at the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Cheers from London....or is it Cheerio?

We enjoyed wine, a play and good times.  

All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's in London